Ozzyjack, we’re almost neighbours - well, in the world of Chi we are!  I live in Indooroopilly. Thanks for putting this chart together.

Pat, I use my I-Pad every day to play Chi. I'm not sure having a keyboard appear would help. You still have to "tap" to make a letter. On my PC it is much easier because I can type on the real keyboard a lot faster. Have not tried using  my Apple keyboard as an added extra to the I-Pad to play the puzzle.

In general, these devices are very touch sensitive, but I've found after being a user for a few years, that my fingers have learned how to deal with that 95% of the time

The Chi puzzle is my breakfast ritual. I have 2 choices. Play on the pc which is much easier but means I sit facing a wall inside my house or play on the I-Pad sitting outside on my deck with the sun shining in and the fresh air surrounding me. Easy choice for me, although in my part of the world (Brisbane, Australia), the morning sun sometimes gets a bit too hot - even in Winter!

T is right - this idea has been toyed with for quite a while.  I seem to remember saying, when the idea first arose, that it should be in Melbourne (Australia), given that our great and wonderful Chi creator, Alan, lives there.  I realise that would mean lots of forumites would have to travel a long way, but what the heck, it would be lots of fun.  Please, not in winter though - Melbourne's weather is horrible.  Uum, can also be horrible in spring, summer and autumn (fall) - however summer is a better bet.  Sometime from November til March could work.

Guess this is a cheeky suggestion from a forumite who hardly ever posts these days - but I was a regular a while ago, so hopefully that gives me a right to comment on something as important as this!!!! 

Hi, have not been monitoring the forum much in the past week, so don't know if there have been any posts about the floods in Queensland.  37 years ago we had a major flood which devastated parts of the city near the river.  It was was supposed to be a '1 in a 100 year flood'.  Clearly not!!!!!!!  The very dam that was built back in 1974 to save my hometown of Brisbane from another flood seems to have been the cause of this one. 

Rain poured down for weeks and it got to something like 180% capacity in that dam (now I don't really understand how a container (being the dam) can be more than 100%,  but it seems that somehow it can be - go figure!).  Anyhow, it did and the authorities were concerned that any more rain (which there was loads of) would potentially break the banks and be catastrophic, so they realeased water to control the flooding.  Seems the problem was that they left it too late and had to release huge volumes which caused a major flooding of my city.  Too much water released, too late to save us> 

I am high and dry, but many areas near me have suffered major damage.  Driving down the streets near me just makes me cry.  There are some households that have dumped the entire contents of their house/apartment onto the sidewalk.   The levels of mud dumped on the streets and sidewalks is unbelievable.  Think 20 cm (8 inches) of mud.  The roads and sidewalks can be hosed down with the help of the Fire Department and their wonderfully powerful fire hoses, but the grassed areas are another matter.  Leaving the mud there means that it hardens and is impossible to move later.  It also means that it absolutely stinks!!!!! 

Volunteers have been amazing.  Many have stood in their gumboots helping to push the mud and water into drains.  It is really slippery stuff!  Many have set up food huts and worked for hours and hours and hours with donated food and bottled water to feed the volunteers (including Army & Fire Department).  Local residents who are not able to physically help have baked loads of stuff and dropped it off to these huts.  The community spirit is just fantastic.  I'm proud to be a Queenslander! 

Sorry, have waffled on for a bit, but our situation is just a tad overwhelming at the moment.

You T - when you come to Australia

Happy birthday Threeb!  Where have you been?  Not that I can really talk because I hardly ever post on the forum these days either, but I do look once in a while and I rarely see your name listed.

Hope you had a good one.

Lots of love, Greenone

p.s.  I agree with AQ - miss reading your wonderful stories about the people you've interviewed.

I don't consider it to be a rare word at all.  Lots of the American words that are considered common are ones I don't, so I think if words that are common in one part of the globe are allowed, then ones that are common in another part should be too.

Talking of potato soup - here is an easy recipe that I really like - Double Potato soup

first soup:
30g butter
2 large (400 gms) potatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
2 lime leaves
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup cream

Melt butter, add potatoes, onion & lim leaf.  cover, cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until onion is soft.  Stir in stock & crea, bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft.  Blend or process until smooth.

2nd soup:
30 gm butter
1 large (400 gms) sweet potato (kumara)
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons cream

Melt butter, add sweet potato, cover, cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Stir in stock and cream.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until potato is soft.  Blend or process til smooth.

Place each soup in a separate jug, pour simultaneously into soup bowls.

You end up with the white soup on one side, and the orange soup on the other.  Can use a skewer down the dividing line and swirl a bit for a pretty effect.  Sprinkle white side with chopped chives.

To make life easier, I just cook it as one soup.  Not as attractive but very yummy.  If I was cooking for guests, would probably make it the way it was intended.  I also usually leave out the cream and am able to freeze it.  Looks a bit disgusting when it thaws, but stirs to a good consistency when heated.  Great, in cooler weather, to grab from the freezer on the way to work and eat for lunch.